Man sentenced for false PFA against Pittsburgh police commander

Andrew Lee ordered not to have contact with Cmdr. RaShall Brackney

A man whose business was closed in a city zoning dispute must serve two years' probation for filing a false protection-from-abuse order against a Pittsburgh police commander.

A judge Monday also fined 46-year-old Andrew Lee $2,500 and ordered no contact with Cmdr. RaShall Brackney, who contends Lee sent her harassing texts and lied about having a romantic relationship with her.

Lee sought the PFA in May 2012, claiming Brackney threatened to "do whatever it takes to get him" after he ended their alleged relationship. DA's investigators and a judge who rejected the PFA request determined there was no relationship.

“I'm totally afraid of her and I believe that she has the power to hurt me,” Lee said. “She's been on a long campaign to destroy me, destroy my business.”

Lee owned a cigar shop with an after-hours club upstairs that drew nuisance complaints and was foreclosed upon this month after being closed for zoning violations.

Brackney denied orchestrating the zoning issues, as Lee claimed.

Lee has now admitted he made it up.

“There are still people to this day that believe that I acted inappropriately,” said Brackney, a 13-year veteran commander says she's just relieved the whole sordid ordeal is over. “And unfortunately, you can't unring those kinds of bells once it's out there. As for Andrew Lee, I feel nothing but pity for him. He's just a coward in every sense of the word.”

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